Despite What You Think, You Should Never Rinse The Rice For This Dish

One of the first things you learn about cooking rice is to rinse it thoroughly beforehand. This removes the starch, the substance that gives uncooked rice its signature texture, which is helpful for dishes where you want nice, fluffy grains. For some dishes, however, rinsing the rice can sabotage the entire dish before it even begins. This is especially true for risotto. Unlike other dishes where a rinse helps separate the grains, risotto depends on those starches to create its signature creaminess. Indeed, rinsing your rice is one of the biggest mistakes that can ruin your risotto, robbing you of the one thing that makes it silky and satisfying.

When you rinse risotto rice, you're literally washing away what makes it work. Risotto gets its creaminess from constant stirring, causing friction between the grains and releasing starch into the broth. Those starches need to be present to thicken the broth. If they're stripped away beforehand, the rice has to work overtime, and the end result won't be nearly as rich or cohesive. Instead of a beautifully emulsified dish, you'll end up with something thin and underwhelming.

What makes risotto rice unique is its naturally high amylopectin content, a starch that helps the grains release their thickening power as they cook. This, combined with risotto's short-grain structure, makes the rice naturally stickier than long-grain varieties like basmati or jasmine. It's similar to what makes sticky rice so sticky (check out our article to learn more), and in risotto, this is essential for getting the right texture. 

Risotto's defining texture doesn't just come from starch — it's also about how that starch interacts with the cooking process. As the rice cooks, the starch gradually releases, binding everything together into a velvety sauce. Not washing risotto rice also allows the starch to bind with liquid. With surface starches intact, the grains naturally emulsify with the broth, allowing risotto to thicken as it cooks. When those starches are rinsed away from the surface, there's less available to blend with the broth, resulting in a thinner, less cohesive dish.

If risotto is the goal, resist the urge to rinse. A good risotto takes patience, quality ingredients, and a little finesse ... but one thing it definitely doesn't need is washed rice. Stick with tradition, let the starch do the work, and read Daily Meal's round-up of foods that don't require washing if you're curious to find out about similar dishes.